A large, common honeyeater of upper montane cloud forest. Body gray with white scaling on the back, olive wing feathers and buffy under the base of the tail. Black head with prominent white facial stripe from the base of the bill, pale blue eye ring and bare facial skin behind the eye with a small white line behind it. Similar to Cinnamon-browed and Yellow-browed Melidectes and it hybridizes with the latter. Belford’s however has blue facial skin, dark bill and lacks red wattles.